Foundation garment



Oct. 20, 1964 3,153,416

C. CUOZZI FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Nov. 21, 1962 FIG. 1

INVENTOR Co/V ETTA GUOZZ/ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,153,416 FOUNDATION GARIVLENT Concetta Cnozzi, Yorktown Heights, N.Y., assignor to Henry M. Plehn Filed Nov. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 239,190 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-528) This invention relates to a foundation garment and more particularly to a garment of the panty girdle type provided with an opening at the lower rear and crotch portions of the garment.

Generally in foundation garments, especially of the panty girdle type, it has been found necessary to remove the garment from the body of a wearer when the performance of normal functions become necessary. Although varying attempts have been made to obviate the necessity of removing the garment in order to perform normal functions, such attempts have been mainly directed to providing crotch openings. It is thus obvious that such structures, although successful in obviating the need for removal of the garment in response to some types of body functions, are entirely limited in obviating the removal of the garment where different body functions are involved.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a garment which will eliminate the need of unfastening and removal thereof when the performance of normal body functions become necessary.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an opening in a foundation garment located generally in the lower rear and crotch portions thereof which is easily accessible and which can be easily manipulated by a wearer.

A further object herein is to provide a garment with a normally closed separable lower rear and crotch portion adapted to be easily opened by the wearer and obviating the need for removing the garment in response to the needs of normal body function.

In accomplishing the foregoing objects, there is provided in a foundation garment a plurality of panels in particular relationship to each other so as to form a normally closed body-encircling structure of the panty girdle type, which is adapted to be separable in the lower rear and crotch regions thereof so as to provide an opening by simple manipulation of the wearer, in response to normal body functions without the necessity of removing the garment.

The above and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawing wherein like characters designate like parts in the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the garment according to the present invention;

' FIG. 2 is a rear view of the garment shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the garment of the panty-girdle type is comprised of a non-stretch front panel 11 extending from the waist and being particularly adapted to overlie the abdominal region of a wearer, said panel 11 being joined along the vertical edges thereof to a pair of side panels 12 having a two-way stretch characteristic along the forward vertical edges thereof. The

3,153,416 Patented Oct. 20, 1964 Ice side panels 12 are pr vided with a downwardly extending portion adapted to overlie the thigh regions of a wearer, and are joined along the rear vertical edges thereof to a rear panel 14 having a two-way stretch characteristic along the outer vertical edges thereof by stitching 15. The rear panel 14 is further joined to front panel 11 along the lower portion thereof by stitching 16 to form leg portions 17. A gusset-like stretchable insert 18 joins side panels 12 at the front of the garment 16, below front panel 11.

Rear panel 14 is provided with a semi-oval central recess 20 adapted to provide an opening in the crotch and lower rear region of the body of wearer.

Covering recess 20 and overlaying rear panel 14 there is provided an outer rear panel 21 joined to side panels 12 by stitching 15. Outer rear panel 21 is provided with a crotch strip 22 which is an extension of panel 21, at the lower part thereof. Crotch strip 22 is adapted to extend over the crotch region of the wearer and is provided with fastening means, such as a hook 23 adapted to be fastened to a complementary eye 24 at the bottom of front panel 11 so as to form a closure over central recess 20.

It will be evident from the foregoing that crotch strip 22 can be unfastened from its anchorage at the bottom of front panel 11 so that outer rear panel 21 can be lifted to permit clearance of central recess 20 of rear panel 14 thus allowing performance of natural body functions without any obstructions or the necessity of removing the garment from the body of a wearer.

Although a specific embodiment has herein been described, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein and as so changed a modified structure would still fall Within the ambit of this invention.

For example, panel 11 may have a one-way or twoway stretch characteristic. Similarly other fastening means, such as a conventional snap may be utilized for fastening crotch strip 22 to the bottom of front panel 11.

I claim:

1. A foundation garment comprising:

a front panel;

a plurality of side panels; and

a rear panel;

each of said side panels being connected to said front panel and having:

portions extending therefrom particularly adapted to overlie that portion of the body of a wearer known as the thighs generally frontally and along the sides thereof;

said rear panel being connected to said side panels, and

having:

portions extending therefrom particularly adapted to overlie the thighs generally rearwardly thereof;

said front, rear and side panels providing a body-encircling structure particularly adapted to overlie a portion of the body of a wearer, the thighs thereof being particularly adapted to be encompassed and encircled by only the aforesaid portions of said side and rear panels;

said rear panel comprising:

a central recess in a lower portion thereof;

an outer rear panel connected to said side panels along only a portion thereof;

said outer rear panel being disposed in overlying relationship with respect to only a portion of the aforesaid rear panel, the remainder of said rear panel subsaid recess when the securement means is released,

stantially defining the aforesaid portions that are parenabling egress from within said garment to be had ticularly adapted to encompass the thighs of a wearer therethrough.

generally rearwardly thereof; 2. A foundation garment according to claim 1 wherein said outer rear panel comprising: 5 a gusset-like stretchable insert joins side panels at the front a crotch strip extending therefrom to said front panel; f said garment below said front panel.

and securement means secured to a lower edge of said front References Cited y the Examine! panel, and being cooperable with a free end of aid UNITED STATES PATENTS crotch strip to anchor the same thereto; 10 1 507 408 9/24 Woods 128 525 said outer rear panel and said crotch strip being dis- 2367328 1/45 Bercaitz 128 527 posed in overlying relationship with respect to said 2596488 5/50 Cass 128 526 recess when the free end of said strip is anchored to 2:896:633 7/59 McKee 128426 the lower end of said front panel; 3 035 5 5 *5 2 M i 123424 said outer rear panel and said crotch strip being reniov- 15 able from the aforesaid relationship with respect to ADELE M. EAGER, LOUIS R. PRINCE, Examiners. 

1. A FOUNDATION GARMENT COMPRISING: A FRONT PANEL; A PLURALITY OF SIDE PANELSL; AND A REAR PANEL; EACH OF SAID SIDE PANELS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FRONT PANEL AND HAVING: PORTIONS EXTENDING THEREFROM PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THAT PORTION OF THE BODY OF A WEARER KNOWN AS THE THIGHS GENERALLY FRONTALLY AND ALONG THE SIDES THEREOF; SAID REAR PANEL BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SIDE PANELS, AND HAVING: PORTIONS EXTENDING THEREFROM PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE THIGHS GENERALLY REARWARDLY THEREOF; SAID FRONT, REAR AND SIDE PANELS PROVIDING A BODY-ENCIRCLING STRUCTURE PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO OVERLIE A PORTION OF THE BODY OF A WEARER, THE THIGHS THEREOF BEING PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO BE ENCOMPASSED AND ENCIRCLED BY ONLY THE AFORESAID PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE AND REAR PANELS; SAID REAR PANEL COMPRISING: A CENTRAL RECESS IN A LOWER PORTION THEREOF; AN OUTER REAR PANEL CONNECTED TO SAID SIDE PANELS ALONG ONLY A PORTION THEREOF; SAID OUTER REAR PANEL BEING DISPOSED IN OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO ONLY A PORTION OF THE AFORESAID REAR PANEL, THE REMAINDER OF SAID REAR PANEL SUBSTANTIALLY DEFINING THE AFORESAID PORTIONS THAT ARE PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO ENCOMPASS THE THIGHS OF A WEARER GENERALLY REARWARDLY THEREOF; SAID OUTER REAR PANEL COMPRISING: A CROTCH STRIP EXTENDING THEREFROM TO SAID FRONT PANEL; AND SECUREMENT MEANS SECURED TO A LOWER EDGE OF SAID FRONT PANEL, AND BEING COOPERABLE WITH A FREE END OF SAID CROTCH STRIP TO ANCHOR THE SAME THERETO; SAID OUTER REAR PANEL AND SAID CROTCH STRIP BEING DISPOSED IN OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID RECESS WHEN THE FREE END OF SAID STRIP IS ANCHORED TO THE LOWER END OF SAID FRONT PANEL; SAID OUTER REAR PANEL AND SAID CROTCH STRIP BEING REMOVABLE FROM THE AFORESAID RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID RECESS WHEN THE SECUREMENT MEANS IS RELEASED, ENABLING EGRESS FROM WITHIN SAID GARMENT TO BE HAD THERETHROUGH. 